Bone and joint replacement materials are useful for treating a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders. For example, replacement materials can be designed to restore both lost structure and function, particularly for load bearing applications. Bones in healthy conditions carry external joint and muscular loads by themselves. Following insertions of orthopedic screws and/or other implants, the natural bone in the treated region shares its load-carrying capacity with the implanted components. Thus, the same load that had been originally born by the bone itself is now carried by the ‘composite’ new structure.